Note: this post is about English test, so I appropriately wrote in English.

One important requirement in most scholarship applications is a valid and recent English test score. TOEFL and IELTS are two competing English test brands. Most scholarship provider will gladly accept any one result of the two. I will tell you how these two English tests compared to each other, boxing match style. Without further ado, on the red corner, we have TOEFL, a name that comes to mind when people in Indonesia speaks about English tests. Now on the blue corner, we have IELTS, an alternative English test that is also quite known especially for Indonesians who want to continue their study in Australia.

Round 0: Get the Official International Version

Before we begin, I must stress that for your scholarship applications always get the official international version of the English test. Do *not* get the institutional, mock-up, trial, prediction or anything else other than the internationally accepted English tests. If you don’t use the international versions, your chance of being awarded the scholarship will be next to zero. Get the international version of the tests from official test centres listed below.

Round 1: Test Format

In Indonesia, there is no Paper-based TOEFL or Computer-based TOEFL anymore. ETS only offers Internet-based TOEFL (iBT) on its official test centres. What does this mean? If you want to take TOEFL you’ll have to be accustomed to doing the test using a computer over the internet. The speaking section is done with you answering questions into a microphone. The recorded answers will be marked by up to 6 individual raters. You will also have to complete the writing section by typing your answers with a keyboard. IELTS still adopts the old-fashioned paper-and-pencil format. The test takers will have to use a pencil (or two, or a pen for that matter) to write the answers on an answering sheet. The speaking section is conducted by answering an actual interviewer face-to-face, while still being recorded.

Round 2: Fees

Straight to the point, in 2010, iBT TOEFL costs USD150 and IELTS costs USD180USD195 (as of September 2010).

Round 4: Scoring System

iBT TOEFL has a band score from 0 to 120, with total scores around 89 considered minimum for a scholarship application. IELTS has a slightly simpler scoring system ranging from 0 to 9, with average score of 6.5 as a minimum for a scholarship application.

The Winner

If I were the judge of this match, I would declare IELTS as the winner of this match. Even though it is more expensive, the old fashioned paper-and-pencil format is more suitable for me. I also prefer doing the speaking section face-to-face with an actual living person. I also think that IELTS’ simpler scoring system may benefit test takers since the average score is rounded to the nearest 0.5 increment. TOEFL proponents will say that its speaking section is more objective (being graded by 3-6 independent raters) and it is more commonly accepted worldwide (which is technically not true since IELTS is also widely accepted). But I can’t decide for you. You should choose the most suitable test for yourself. I would say one thing though, be committed and put your efforts to be successful in any English test you take.

You can also read more information on TOEFL and IELTS (in Bahasa Indonesia). Any questions? Write your comments below.

Note: since I’m going to write on improving your English, this post is appropriately written in English.

Preparing for any scholarship application can’t be started too early. If you’re planning to apply for Erasmus Mundus scholarship, you should know that the application period is usually open from around November until January. Now (July) would be a great time to start improving your English. As you know, a high-score English test result will greatly help your application.

In this Internet Age, there are more ways to improve English than just studying with books and taking courses. Learning with podcast is an example of these new methods. Put simply, podcasts are just audio files (usually in the popular format of MP3) that can be downloaded to be played later. While the idea of listening a recording is not new (think of audio cassettes and CDs), podcasts make publishing, searching and obtaining learning resources much easier. Here are some benefits of using podcast to learn English:

1. Listen to Native Speakers

Language can be learnt by copying. Getting yourself used to listening to native speakers will make it easier to understand the language. Exposing yourself to the way they talk and to their pronunciation will also help your pronunciation, making your English sounds more natural and understandable by native speakers.

2. You Already Have the Tools

You don’t really need anything else to start using podcasts to improve your English. Most students now own an MP3 player or cellphone with multimedia capabilities. If you haven’t got one, save some money and get the cheap ones (you don’t need the fancy iPod). You still need internet access though. Just go online, download the files you want, transfer them to your device and you’re all set.

3. Everywhere, Anytime

With podcasts, you can decide when and where you learn English. While you’re enjoying that cup of coffee in a cafe, eating lunch, jogging, doing exercise at the gym or while being stuck in traffic jam, day or night, improving your English is just a button click away. What you need is just to make some time (10 minutes up to one hour, whatever works for you) and hit play.

4. Lots of Free Resources

There are lots of free English podcasts published by native speakers. Don’t limit yourself with only listening to American speakers, vary it with British or perhaps Australian accents. The Internet makes it easy to find podcasts with various English accents. Here is just a small collections of such resources. You can get more by searching for “learning english podcast”. You can also listen to news podcast by searching “english news podcast”.

Resources

VOA has a section on its website specifically designed for people learning English. Every news published on that section has an audio file of an American speaker telling the news in a slightly slower pace than normal. This is a very good site for a beginner.

British Council has a great website for learning English and it also has a podcast section. Moreover, every episode on the podcast has a support pack (PDF file) containing exercises for you to finish while and after listening to the audio file. The exercise will help you further improve your English.

Podcast can also be in video format rather than just audio. Australia Network has various video podcasts for learning English available at your disposal. The downside of video podcasts is the size of each file may be significantly higher than regular audio podcasts.

Do you have any experience with using podcasts to improve your English? Tell us in the comments.

Candidates listen to a number of recorded texts, which increase in difficulty as the test progresses. These include a mixture of monologues and conversations and feature a variety of English accents.
The recording is heard only once, but candidates are given time to read the questions and write down their answers.

30 minutes

4 sections; 40 questions

0-9

Reading

There are three reading passages with tasks. Texts are taken from books, magazines, journals and newspapers, all
written for a non-specialist audience. At least one of the texts contains a detailed argument.

60 minutes

3 sections; 40 questions

0-9

Writing

The first task requires candidates to write a description of at least 150 words. This is based on material found in a chart, table, graph or diagram and should demonstrate their ability to present information and to summarise the main features of the input.
For the second task, candidates write a short essay of at least 250 words in response to a statement or question. They are expected to demonstrate an ability to present a position, construct an argument and discuss abstract issues.

60 minutes

2 tasks; 150 and 250 words

0-9

Speaking

The test takes the form of a face-to-face interview. Candidates are assessed on their use of spoken English to answer short questions, to speak at length on a familiar topic, and also to interact with the examiner.